Evaluation of Estimators for Rockfish Species Compositions

Identification Information

Citation

Originator: Sampson, David B. and Yong-Woo Lee

Publish Date: 2008

Online Link: None

BPA Project #:

Contact Information

Agency: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Name: Cedric Cooney

Job Position: Natural Resources Data and Systems Manager

Telephone: 503-947-6094

E-Mail Address: cedric.x.cooney@odfw.oregon.gov

Description

Abstract: Rockfish (Sebastes spp.) are an important component of the US West Coast commercial fishery for groundfish. Although recent commercial landings of rockfish are greatly reduced compared to levels taken during the 1980s and early 1990s, rockfish continue to have a large impact on commercial and recreational fisheries along the West Coast because severe management restrictions were enacted to rebuild several rockfish species that were assessed as being severely depleted. Because most rockfish species have generally similar market characteristics, commercial fishermen generally do not sort rockfish to species and land them separately unless they are legally required to do so. In Oregon, for example, during the period 1985 to 1993 all landings of rockfish were reported in one of six so-called "market categories": Pacific ocean perch, widow rockfish, yellowtail rockfish, thornyheads, small rockfish, and large rockfish. In 1994 a separate category was established for black rockfish, and in 1995 three additional categories were established: for canary rockfish, longspine thornyhead, and shortspine thornyhead. While the species-specific categories (e.g., widow rockfish, yellowtail rockfish) are generally uncontaminated by other species, landings of these categories are often not entirely pure, and the species compositions of the general rockfish categories (e.g., small rockfish) are often quite variable (Crone 1995). In Oregon, agents from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) routinely take samples (generally consisting of two 25-lb "clusters") from all rockfish market categories to derive estimates of the species composition of each category (Sampson et al. 1997). There are similar sampling programs in Washington (Tagart 1997) and California (Erwin et al. 1997).

Purpose:

Time Period of Content:

Geographic Extent: Not available

Status: Final

Use Constraints:

Format: PDF

Data Quality Information

Lineage-Source: Unpublished Project Progress Report to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine Resources Program

Data Information

No data information was supplied.

Entity and Attribute Information

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Is a physical copy maintained for reference at Headquarters? Unknown